Hearts Like Jesus
Sermon Notes
As Vision Sunday approaches, it’s easy to focus on plans, strategies, and goals. But before Jesus ever sends us out, He invites us to come close. In Matthew 11:25–30, Jesus does something surprising. He tells us exactly what His heart is like.
In this message, we explore why having eyes of faith is not enough on its own. We also need hearts shaped by the gentleness, humility, and compassion of Jesus. A church can have the right beliefs, the right mission, and the right activity, and still miss the heart of Christ.
You’re invited to slow down, behold Jesus, and allow His heart to reshape how we love God, love people, and engage our city. Because how we live out the mission matters just as much as what the mission is.
Key Takeaways
Jesus invites us to know His heart.
Gentleness and humility define Christ’s posture.
Jesus meets broken people with compassion.
Truth and love are never separated in Jesus.
Mission flows from delighting in Christ.
Discussion Questions
What does it mean to have a heart like Jesus?
How do people experience our church when they encounter us?
Where do you need to receive the gentleness of Christ?
Transcript
Seeing What We Miss
Jesus has been teaching, healing, and calling people to follow Him. Crowds have gathered. Miracles have happened. Truth has been spoken clearly. And still, many miss what is right in front of them.
Some are impressed but unmoved. Others are informed but unchanged. They see the works of Jesus, but they never stop long enough to know His heart. So Jesus pauses. He lifts His eyes to the Father and prays, not in frustration, but in gratitude. God has hidden these things from the self-assured and revealed them to the humble.
It is a reminder that clarity does not always come from intelligence or effort. Sometimes it comes from posture. From openness. From a willingness to be taught.
Come to Me
Then Jesus turns toward the weary. Toward the ones carrying weight they can no longer manage. He does not issue a command or raise His voice. He gives an invitation.
“Come to me.”
Not come and perform. Not come and clean yourself up. Just come. Bring the exhaustion. Bring the confusion. Bring the failure. Jesus does not promise quick fixes or easy answers. He promises rest.
This rest is not escape. It is relief. The kind that reaches the soul. The kind that comes from laying down burdens that were never meant to be carried alone.
What His Heart Is Like
This is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus tells us what His heart is like. Gentle. Humble.
That matters more than we often realize. Because many people assume that Jesus meets weakness with disappointment, doubt with frustration, or failure with distance. But He tells us otherwise. His heart is not harsh. It is not impatient. It is not guarded.
Gentleness means He handles broken people with care. Humility means He does not stand above us with clenched fists, but comes low, meeting us where we are.
Learning the Way of Jesus
Jesus does not just invite us to rest. He invites us to learn. To take His yoke and walk with Him. A yoke was meant to be shared. It distributed weight. It made the load manageable.
Life does not become weightless when we follow Jesus. But it becomes rightly weighted. We stop trying to carry things we were never meant to carry. We learn a new rhythm. A slower pace. A truer way.
And over time, His way reshapes our hearts.
Becoming a Church With His Heart
This matters not just for individuals, but for the church. We can have the right beliefs, the right mission, and the right activity, and still miss the heart of Jesus.
People do not only encounter our words. They encounter our posture. Our tone. Our patience. Or lack of it.
If Jesus is gentle and humble at heart, then a church shaped by Him should reflect that same spirit. Especially toward the weary. Especially toward the doubting. Especially toward those who feel overlooked or unsure if they belong.
Rest That Sends Us Out
Jesus offers rest, but not retreat. Rest leads to renewal. Renewal leads to love. And love moves outward.
As we prepare for Vision Sunday, the invitation is simple and searching. Before we plan, before we build, before we go, will we first come to Jesus? Will we learn His heart? Will we allow His gentleness and humility to shape how we live and how we love our city?
Because when we carry His heart with us, the mission is no longer heavy. It becomes a joy.